Sleeping dog

Oh small sleeping
dog.What is it you
dream of tonight?
The hunt, a child on
a bike,other dogs like
you?Sleeping in the same
room is like sleeping next
to a running
chainsaw.Does every little
dog have soft palate
issues,or just you? No matter, you like the garden hose,blowing leaves, cat chasing and

anything edible.You DONT like the vacuum cleaner, any garbage bag or plastic bag of any kind,

and being excluded from any household activity, no matter how boring or tedious.

When I found you you were barely enough to fill my hand, and you looked up at me, wagging your tail in anticipation.Then you peed without reservation .Removing you from the urine, I held you out so Mommy could see you.That's all it took to win her heart.A little body, a lot of enthusiasm, and urine.Go figure.All this time I've been trying to win friends with humor and distilled spirits, and all I had to do was seem excited and piss on the floor.Oh wait, your cute and easy to manage.That's one thing Iam not.Easily managed.You have grown up into a healthy, fit Pug with no shortage of attitude or energy.Well, energy between the hours of 11am and 8pm.Beyond that, its a crap shoot.Many before you have known the comfort and reassurance of being upside down, between my legs as pictured , but not all for the same reasons.Slumber in peace and confidence that when you wake up, I will be there and YES we will chase,eat,dig,sniff(well you'll probably be doing most of that),tear up all mommies valuable shit and do all the various dog stuff that fills the day.I promise not to embarrass you by carrying you in a hand bag, or dress you up in costumes or little hats.These things are for pussies and foo-foo dogs, not a natural born killer like you.Your Tic-Tac like teeth shall rend the flesh from the bones of your enemies and strike fear into the hearts of squirrels and small rodents everywhere.

Sleep little dog,tomorrow is another adventure waiting for us.

Penn State results

My absenteeism aside, the results for PSU vs MSU are in.
We got smacked around.A few fair weather UM fans chortled about it, and the speculators all shook their heads in agreement, but I am very pleased with it.
Whats this? you say.Yes I said "pleased".Why? 9-3 record baby.Second straight bowl game, higher up the scale than last year.Oh yeah!It was indeed a great year to be a Spartan.We crushed UM at the big house.First time since 1990.I cried.We crushed the hopes of Notre Dame.I urinated freely uponst them.I got to tailgate with the players parents AND won at cut throat road Bocce AND saw my team put they boots firmly on the wind pipe of IU @ IU.
I saw Kirk Ferentz and Iowa push all in to win and Adam Decker knifed through the Hawkeye line and dropped Shon Greene like bad habit.MSU wins.I riot screamed at the field as time expired and the Wisconsin Badgers hung their heads in shame after virtually "giving" MSU the win.Boohoo Bucky.See ya next fall beyotch.I remember the taste of my own blood in my mouth as I walked away from the shameful display against Ohio State.My head held high, because I was on my way to smack around the Wolverines the next Saturday.I remember the hair raising on my neck when I read my friend Morgans blog review on MSU.Give up he said.Not this time, not this year.All one can do is judge from track record, and ours sucked.Fair enough.Morgo and I watched as my team made positive steps toward the higher levels and Ohio State continued to demonstrate why most people LOVE to HATE Ohio State.They win.Plain and simple.Year after year.Glorious bastards.Football mentors for up and coming programs.
No, Im not disappointed with anything.2008 MSU football campaign has been one hell of a good time.It feels good to walk proud and be part of something larger than yourself.My LOST brothers and sister entered Spartan stadium just as we have every home game for the last 6 years or so and counting, and brought our section to life.If I heard it once, I heard it 9 times,"Ok, here they (Georgie and me) come, now things can catch fire".I chucked hands full of Skittles at all sorts of folks.The tequila flowed and the Jager separated the men from the boys.We consumed 9-750 ml bottles of silver Tequila, 10-750 ml of Triple Sec,8-750 ml Jagermeister,7-750ml of UV flavored vodka (to which there is a usage ban in place) and beer by the boat load.Not one single puke incident, and one digger pulled by a guest.Smashing success indeed.We had a wonderful menu this year that included pork loins,marinated steaks,Taco bar,all sort of sausages and brats,my hickory smoked hamburgers,grilled shrimp,etc,etc.
My team BEAT the Ara Parsegian October curse.NO MORE 0 for October.NO MORE same old Spartans bull crap.Heart felt thanks to all the players,coaches and supporters of MSU football for all the sacrifice, hard work, and dedication to the single purpose of winning games and staying humble in the 2008 campaign.Bravo.Bravo.

Playstation Prophets

This is by far the biggest stretch I have encountered yet, but here goes.

My bestest friend Georgie,hard core MSU,and the only Michigan fan I will ever respect, besides my wifes entire family, Dave ( whom I shall attack in blog form later), have been replaying a abundance of Top 20 college football matchups using the latest NCAA football game.This includes all the MSU and UM games played this year.They are about evenly matched players I suppose, and drinking definitely has been a factor.The results have been stunning, to say the least.

These two playstation prophets have accurately predicted the outcome of every game before its played at a staggering 90+ % clip.Texas vs Oklahomo, the UM loss to Toledo, the meteoric rise of Texas Tech,Ohio States loss to PennState, Iowa failing at MSU, the works. Each week its like having a sneak peak into Saturdays events. The results are in for the seasons end.

MSU defeats Penn State on the road, and UM upsets OSU.No, you say? The PS3 prophets say different and have the record to back it up.The scoring has even been similar.

Now, back to reality.I dont think UM is going to beat OSU.No way, no how.I dont care if first year UM coaches are 11-1-1 vs OSU.This UM coach is not the same caliber as these other boobs and this OSU team is WAY solid on defense.UM might not score.MSU however, is riding the crest of a banner year for Coach D and the Spartans, and have defeated virtually the same PSU team from a year ago in what I have phrased as the Orgasmarama at Spartan Stadium 2007.

The party starts at high noon for the"Game", and shall be capped off by the rumble at the Beave.Probably Joe Paterno's last game as head coach of PSU.Mainstays such as Joe Paterno and Purdues Joe Tiller have brought many great moments to our Big Ten and should Joe Pa call it quits, cheers to you and thanks for the memories.

Burn the ships Spartans! There is only one way home for our kind, VICTORY.Let the Lions feel our steel and taste the bitterness of capitulation at the tip of a warriors spear.

a funny thing happened to me on my way to....

I just had a feeling.Deep down , something was fishy.I walked into the restroom and it hit me.My underwear is on backwards.How out of it do you have to be to put on boxer shorts backwards and not notice.Oh boy.
That was almost as funny as a family dinner from a LONG time ago.My dad and I were at each others throats as usual.After saying in no uncertain terms, that he(dad) was gonna kick me so hard, my ass would be a hat if I didn't close my ham hole, he hoisted a juicy wonderful coney island hot dog from his plate.Rolling my eyes and attempting to look meek, my eyes lowered into sub-surveillance mode.With the other hand , pops grabs up a plastic bottle of fancy mustard.While we are here, what the hell is "fancy" mustard? Is there a guy somewhere in Pennsylvania with a hair net and sore feet sampling mustard, and with a powerful resonating tone says "FANCY!!".All the mustard underlings run off to do various tasks.And what is the lower grade of mustard? It probably has pine needles in it, or lint or something.
Anyway, he turns the bottle to apply his condiment and whoosh.The entire bottle empties into his hand and begins to run down his arm.He held the pose motionless, observing his work.I snorted, turned my head and laughed.I mean, fell off on one knee, gasping for air and chuckling like the Pillsbury dough boy, but more baritone.After several minutes, I stood straightened my shirt and turned to sit down.When I wheeled around , his arm was still raised in a thinker position, but now his head was turned and his lips pierced in disgust.The mustard welling around his elbow, I asked through tears and more snorting," can I get you a napkin dad?".
His mouth dropped open a bit and he couldn't hold it."no, no thanks", he laughed.That reminds me of a dinner we had at Elias Brothers.The waitress took our order, and literally had to comeback and ask for a substitution for EVERYTHING we ordered.My pops and I started in on her, and everyone else in ear shot, and started laughing and carrying on.Every time this poor woman came back to the table it provided 15 more minutes of material.
If a person can do something unnatural with their bodies,like put their whole fist in their mouth, or press the soles of the feet together behind the head, what a magical moment it must have been when the discovery was made.Like, "..hey! wow! I can stuff a whole zucchini in my ass!! I cant wait to tell my friends!!".A better CSI would be, what happened to the vegetable after this act.My fame lies in what I cant do.Like,snap my fingers.I cant do it.A simple thing for most, my snap sounds like a Ohio blue tip match running up zipper teeth.I have gotten counseling for my self image problems stemming from a complete lack of flexibility in my fingers.It was rough, but I'm OK now.I cant swim fast either.I look like a flesh tone World War 2 landing craft making its way to Utah beach.It sucks, Ive got little kids and ankle humper dogs orbiting me in the water, people on shore pointing and covering their mouths in shock like they're seeing a pod of killer whales attacking a larger whale.I am a wonderful driver though.I LOVE cars.All my cohort loves going for a ride.They're scared to death, but they all have that uncomfortable smile.When I got my Benz, my wife was thrilled.She says," that's real nice Cary....nimble and 270 h.p....great".Like a big dummy, I pipe up,"17 inch rims, and it corners flat as a tabletop!!".She doesn't get it.Nothing fancy really.Souped up C230.Two less doors than the standard 230 and its a Kompressor.Helped that the dealer practically gave it to me price wise.I have lost my train of thought.Let us talk sports next.

in the dark of night

Im sitting in the dark of night, red glow of my cigarette the only light.I dont smoke, but tonight, I do.My eyes look into the future, and I see a world in evolution.Maybe mankind is on the edge of some natural catastrophe that signals a drastic change in society as a whole. The destruction of society.We collapse under our burden.I cant predict that, but it seems plauseable enough.Or maybe we have some great evolution of thought, where the masses start to see what REAL power is.Not armies, not destructive forces of mans creation.The flowing waters that scour the surface, the unending cycle of birth,life, renewel as fire sweeps over the landscape.Wind and rain combining to demonstrate just how tiny and fragile we really are.Not necessarily a technological revolution either, perhaps a departure from technology actually.A return to provincial thinking coupled with an overwhelming desire by mankind to preserve culture instead of controling it.The death of Ideaology and the birth of acceptance and tolerance.I feel the roots are there in generations living now.I can sense it.A moment in time where social awareness in all its forms penetrates all corners of the world.We have to many people now, to many needs.Nature will select us soon.We tip the balances and our world will correct.I think we will survive.Maybe a shortage in Mountain Dew and video games, but we will make it.
Im so old fashioned its sick.I still think a man should honor his word, and try to grow self respect,and repay loyalty.Stand up for what you believe right, and humble yourself when proven wrong.I can hear things in peoples words that they dont even know they are saying.A cry for help, a bitter heart, a true survivor,a caretaker of people,and a predator.I dont pretend to have skills of perception that others dont have.The differance is life experience training versus professionally educated skills.Iam easily betrayed because of my belief in absolutes.Honor.Tolerance.Pride.Karma.Sacrifice.Respect. I dont always give all of this or emulate it, but I think its what everyone should strive for and respect in others.
My cat sits on my lap and cares not for what the world has, except for this moment in time we share.Right now.Good kittycat.Siamese are the best cats ,bar none.Mine is at least.He loves me and mommy...period.The dog trots off with whoever is interesting right now, but there is no doubt....that is my cat.From the first time we met, I knew he was for me only.Good boy.My dog was the same way.He captured me instantly.Curious bond we can form with animals.Commune with them.Its a shame when people cant/dont experience this.

The poorest I have ever been.

This blog entry shall document the poorest financially I have ever been.
Age:21
Occupation:not working...anywhere
Residence:none
Car:1980 Olds 98, of which I own half of,1973 Cadillac El Dorado,cant afford to drive
Future:bleak,bankrupt

At this point in my life, I had rejected college, rejected the Marines, and had fallen after foolish pride and the plotting of others had rendered me unemployed and sinking fast. I had nothing, and my mother booted me out of my own house (I mean 50% owner, like with deed) after less than 14 days back after two years of surviving on my own. I was cut in pay due to the schemeing of two drunks who worked at my plant. On one fateful day, I got tired of always waiting on this alcoholic inspector to do her job, so I made waves. She got a talking to, but no other reprimand.Over the course of the next 6 months , these gals sabotaged my work, getting me demoted. This enraged me , and in my youthful wisdom (yeah right), I said these woman were human garbage, and no way was the company going to do this to me."Full of empty threats" I said.They cut me 3 bucks per hour, and cut hours. I went downhill fast, as I was used to living on BIG MONEY, and hadn't learned about living beyond my means yet.When I quit, it was the first time since I was 13 years old (old enough to legally work in Michigan) that I didnt have a job. And I couldnt find work. No one would hire me, no jobs to get really. I hustled cash, mowing yards and helping old ladies and such, but just gas money.Anyway, after two nights in the car, with my last uncashed check in hand, I sought out my childhood married friend, George. When I pulled up, the front door burst open, and out stormed shawn, his wife.She walked past me down the street.George come out a miute later, got in my car and said,"cary, she's moved out, we're getting a divorce.what you doin here?".We drove to Lansing and back, and talked in depth about how messed up our lives had become.Needing a roof, and George needing half the bill money, he let me move in that night.I gave him my last paycheck and said if I wasnt working at the end of the month, I was leaving. I always pay my own way, always.The next day,George called home and put me on the line with his boss, Bob Petersen.I started work that night washing dishes in Bobs restaraunt.I thank God I was blessed with a job at Bobs place, because I was given a meal every shift I worked, so really, I didnt have to buy food. If I got a job at a gas station, I would have starved to death.The november of that year, George and I had to pay out everything we made, and still didnt make ends meet.We had the utilities shut off for 3.5 weeks, in november, in Michigan, until we gathered 300 dollars to get service again.Seems, prior to the split up, Georges wife had NOT paid the energy bill.From December of 1991 through April of 1992, I was in court getting sued for money, every week.Once a week folks."Is this your debt Mr.Ellis?""yes sir.""Are you trying to pay it back?""yes sir""judgement plaintiff".More penalties,more court costs.Thanksiving dinner was a ham pizza and we split a 2 litre of Coke.I had lost my money, all my friends except 3, my reputation, and most of all, I had disappointed my family. My Grandparents, who were the only positive role models in my whole stinking life looked at me and said,"What happened Cary? You ALWAYS do well, but you have failed.Maybe we were wrong about you."Rock bottom.Tough love, smart grandparents.They knew just where to go.I wept that night.The next day, I woke up and made a plan.Bankruptcy is the answer now.My granddad said,"cary dont do this, we will pay your stuff off, and you can start fresh..".With the resolve of George Patton, I said "no thankyou."The best thing I ever did for myself.Its what Iam most proud of, with out a doubt.I stood up, dusted off, and suffered, and worked, and learned.I never looked back.Things didnt improve very fast at all, but I steadily got better jobs, got training, got college, and just plain got on.

...what did you say??...

Another friday.No workie, no cashie.You know what bugs me? Pasty faced fat chicks with attitude.They act like the world revolves around them, then become offended when you react, like they haven't treated you like crap, when they have...because they're special.
People who ...salesman specifically, who say,"this is a must have".I reply,"you got one?", to which they look to the floor and tell you what they prefer, which isn't what they're trying to send you home with.Any usage of the phrase,"...hey, I've got black friends, but...", makes me want to drive a steel rake into this persons head.Old dumb asses who say,"that stock market..i don't want nothing to do with that goddamn stock market...".Where do you think your savings is invested wad?Get a clue.Drunk guys who wanna try me out(short,red headed loud guys who think they can fight shitfaced).Drunk guys who kick my ass even though they're drunk (never happened, but it would suck).People who say," if we didn't invade Europe, we would all be speaking German now..", shut up you don't know crap about ww2 tactics.Any person(s) who cant figure out what the funny arrows pointing left or right mean at the end of streets and at traffic lights, or a flashing friggin yellow light.That one really drives me wacko.Some dork pulls up to a flashing yellow while you roll up on the stop sign or red signal, then this guy stops in front of you and waves you on.You wait, because you HAVE to stop, and this dink stays right there.Then someone pulls up to the red across from you and the dork in the middle of the road is now frantically waving you both through in front of yellow flasher guy.That REALLY gets me.No signal, multiple lane changers rolling to a red light, who cut off two or more lanes guy makes me wanna commit crime.I once shouted,"use the F'in signal bitch!!" so loud inside my car (with the windows up) this broad heard it and flew me the bird.Anyone who spends 35 minutes trying to align a car to a gas pump, because they just have to slide in there somehow because there is no way they can wait and follow the flow of cars, makes me angry.

These things make me happy, and want to give hugs and kisses to even the most talentless rat bastard.Finding a $20 bill anywhere.Someone who rolls up to a red light and actually stops to let you in AHEAD of them, you rock mister.Anyone who sees you drop a $20 bill and picks it up and runs after you saying,"hey this is yours!!".Free car washes by teenage church girls in fringed jean shorts and charity 10k shirts.3am runs to anywhere for doughnuts or fast food.Nothing says "comfort me" like a bacon cheeseburger at 3 am.Finally getting a rare, out of print book you have been looking for for years.Tailgates at MSU while the sun shines and the breeze blows.Watching the Detroit Lions stink up the joint.Well, not WATCH.That's a waste of time, you know whats going to happen.Main reason I'm a Green Bay fan from baptism.Eccentric, artistic 50 something people who like to discuss the order of the universe, and show you the "grow lights" they recently obtained.Home cooked food.A friend asked me once, "if your going to die, and you were served a last meal, what would it be?".Without hesitation, i replied "a medium rare grilled steak, fried potatoes, corn on the cob,sweet vinegar cucumbers and onions, chocolate mousse and unsweetened iced tea".That makes me happy, and full.Local fairs/festivals and celebrations make me happy.Locals in their element,smiling and laughing.That makes me happy.A really fast car with a throaty exhaust tone makes me happy.A E55 amg Mercedes-Benz would make me REALLY happy.Honest, caring, AVERAGE folks make me happy.Average people like these are the heroes of battle fields, nurses and doctors who hold your hand while they break bad news,people who cry tears of joy when YOUR kids are born, drop what they are doing to rescue a small cat/dog in distress, and anyone who does something because its "the right thing to do".They make me happy.Respect for my struggles , even when you have had a harder life, makes me happy.That first tee shot after surgery and 6 months of rehab from a broken wrist.That made me happy.Bowling a 1058 pin / 4 game series made me unbearable.The game that was thrown out was a paltry 218.That reminds me of playing one on one at Godfreys b-ball court and running off 14 straight games.I'll bet I shot 75% from the arc that night.I had my Phoenix Suns/Charles Barkley jersey and shorts on that night.The guys waiting to play started getting pissed at one another because no one could touch me.That was great.Walking at the Relay for Life made me happy.Anything that lifts people from the sadness of the big C makes me happy.
Have a great weekend my friends,Ive got air conditioners and deck furniture to take care of.
be nice to someone who needs it.....

Market,Schmarket II

By the way people, the Dow is at 8000 and touched 7800.Guess I was right about that one as well.

Not Happy

Congress is once again meeting and discussing.Talkie talking.All the while our combined wealth is destroyed day after day.The trend was to liquidate pension plans and let the IRA and the 401(k) be the vehicle to retirement land.Bull crap.People aren't capable of managing their own finances.Not because THEY are incompetent, no, not at all.The irresponsible actions going on board rooms and amongst boards of directors in MANY MANY companies coupled with the US governments incredibly slow and pathetic attempts to redirect credit shortages have brought us down.There is another matter to consider, and that is collusion and hoarding.Commodity prices spiked worldwide, due in large to consolidation worldwide in mining and petroleum/petroleum services industries.I believe the commodity bubble in copper and metals was due to China buying all the copper they could import, there by tipping the market in an attempt to control prices.This failed as Phelps Dodge/Freeport McMoran and like mining companies consolidated dropping the total number of miners to buy from.China cant control the market if there are only 2 suppliers.The knee jerk response to 5.00 per gal gas was to use ethanol.A Bush administration that failed, as many before have, to construct ANY type of energy policy ,came out on TV and spouted all sort of crap about how efficient Brazil is in its energy Independence, and how corn based ethanol is the key to the future.Oh, we didn't think this out.We EAT F@#$ING CORN PEOPLE.Jesus, if we found out chickens could make airplanes fly, we wouldn't stop eating them.We would starve to death so that American Airlines could live.Not me, screw American Air.I have seen THOUSANDS of dollars I busted my ass to earn disappear because of poor government policy (tar and feather them) , irrational trading on wall street (Valiums distributed at the doors of the exchanges), greed (CEO's, scratch that,any executive of a public company earning more than any 5 employees salaries combined make to much money,tar and feather) ,greed II, the sequel( lending money to anyone who could fog a mirror) and lastly, a war in the middle east that our leaders had no plan on winning.Not like popular notions like they didn't have an exit strategy, like I mean they didn't want to win.The military sucking up oil and destroying equipment keeps the oil barons cashed up, the defense contractors fat and happy (were I earn a portion of my money), the body bags flying, and American and European AND Asian companies cooking whilst they build a bridge, the enemy tears it down, we build the bridge , the enemy tears it down, and so forth.A simple and completely partially informed opinion, but mine none the less. The government is considering bridge loans and financing for the auto industry.What the hell are they thinking about.Fork over the cash bitches.It was industry in this part of the country that built the equipment to win WW 2.It was transportation and the ability to move goods fast across this country, that enabled us to grow.If the Big 3 fail, someone tell me whats the diff if I get the equivalent of a government subsidy in the form of bridge loans to help auto makers and all the suppliers and workers down stream,like me, or I lose my job and draw unemployment benefits and then welfare because industry is gone.I see the diff as such : SUBSIDY=I WORK AND PRODUCE SOMETHING FOR MY MONEY or WELFARE=I MAKE NOTHING,AND PASS BURDEN ON TO OTHERS.

IAM SO SICK OF BEING HELD FINANCIALLY CAPTIVE BY THE AUTO INDUSTRY I COULD PUKE. I HAVE RETRAINED,I HAVE ADVANCED SKILLS AND EDUCATION.I WANT TO LIVE HERE, AND ITS HOW WE MAKE MONEY HERE.

IAM SO SICK OF BEING HELD CAPTIVE BY THE AUTO INDUSTRY,PAY UP YOU BASTARDS...i hate you, you pay better than average, destroy my body for profit, then cut us off and refuse to take care of us after we are used up. I hate you.

I have the answer though.There isn't a situation invented I cant handle or come to terms with.

Satan sent packing

On a cold and overcast day, Purdue struggled while MSU does enough to win.The defense played well, and the game plan was solid.Mid way through the 3rd quarter, one of the guys in my row got up to go to the head and as he approached me , he smiled and said," I'm coming back,OK?".
At first I didnt get it.About 30 seconds later I realized that the kind gentleman was one of the folks I growled at during the OSU game."Get out, we dont need you anyway!!!", I said. I was embarassed at first, then Jamie nudges me and laughs."I cant help it Jamie, Im a passionate type guy and I have no tolerance for fairweather fans", I said."You'r either on board or your an enemy, there is no inbetween".
The team looked focused and in control at all times, as it should be against a weak opponent like TGS.Its a shame Joe Tiller is going out like he is, but thats life in West Lafayette (bitch slapping IU, and sucking last tit to Notre Dame).It seems that Iowa, by virtue of upsetting Penn State, has put us in a posistion where we have to win at PennState, and OhioState has to lose for us to get a shot at the Trojans.O Fortuna needs to assist us.Not to poo-poo on OSU, but they must fall, somehow.MSU must win, somehow.We beat essentially, the same PennState team last year at home, so we have a shot.MSU MUST PLAY PERFECT FOOTBALL.The Nittany Lions dont make errors and after the loss to Iowa, hopefully they are all moping around, the coaching staff having removed all the shoelaces and belts, pondering the loss. The crowd in the Beave should be volatile at a minimum, so MSU has a slimmer chance. We have a similar structure to Iowa team wise, with a better passing game and a better defense, but a slightly less effective running back, so we match up well. With an extra week to heal wounds and sharpen the spear, I think Coach D should have our guys ready to go.An OSU loss would mean an outright Big Ten title for Spartan nation,assuming we manage a victory at PSU, and a multiorgasmic end to this years campaign. Fortune favors the bold, so hold on tight Spartans, the magic of this season isnt over yet.

Caesar falls

Well the home games are expended, the tailgates are at a halt for 2008.The Bocce Championship has been completed.
I was defeated.
Again.
2nd place for the 3 rd year in a row, and the 5 th time in 6 years.
Congrats to Sarah, you earned it with a great performance.You are a gracious winner and a REAL competitor.
The final point tally was Sarah +1, followed by me, then george at -2.
LOST scribes and historians shall forever speculate on the effects of ELLIS GATE.The infamous bad call on game point in what is now a CRITICAL match.Cary & Jeni vs Sarah & who cares.With game point being called by the officials as in favor of my squad, with no less than THREE shots remaining, we toss off two and then..."wait , that point is green....oh sorry".The result, one shot at an easy lie.We missed our ONE remaining shot,AFTER a VERY BAD CALL by CAESAR, the senior official, and voila, a point in head to head play for Sarah.The ONE point that seperated me from a tie or possible victory.
Caesar often speaks of his abscence from a 2005 OSU game as being the only reason why I won my title in 2005, which is complete crap, but none the less, he maintains he would have won.
If that be the case, with his bad call ultimatley affecting the outcome of 2008, lets just say that account is "paid in full".McFist-in -my-ass giveth and he taketh away.
People can say, "it shoulnt mean that much", or " its just a game", with tears in her eyes, I think it means a bit more, wouldnt you agree Sarah?Good job girl.Ellis gate shall be shrouded in mystery and speculation forever. I will NEVER again NOT get a solid look or ruling at a game point again, rest assured.Enjoy and savor it Sarah, the throne room can be a prison and you have elevated yourself to target numero uno for your LOST brothers.
You shall always be a winner and a champion now Sarah, and you deserve it. The effort and commitment to the club you have demonstrated is tremendous and I appreciate it. I look forward to your plans for the Post Game Show and subsequent 2009 Tailgate Tune up. It should be fun!

The Great Satan

The time has come.The last home game and we play host to the Great Satan.Purdue has earned that distinction because of its uncanny ability to completely screw up a golden opportunity.Lets say for instance, your favorite elite college basketball program has a breeze schedule to the big 10 title remaining, all they gotta do is get past a middle league Purdue squad.Your up by 13 or so at Mackey and then splat.Purdue "boils -er up", and you lose.Rose bowl football season with a blowout loss to Purdue, who barely made the lowest bowl game.Its that type of spoiler/upset power that they seem to posses that makes them the "Great Satan".That, and I believe Gene Keady sold his soul to the devil.I'm sure of it.He should have bargained for better hair in the deal.

Purdue by all accounts should put up token resistance.I think Sheets and Siller get some good yards on the ground, but the passing attack is all but neutralized I think.
Blair White will have a good day.Take it to the bank.If the world has caught on, yet, they cover White with better guy or a double team maybe.That means that Dell,Cunningham,Gant,Martin,etc. might step up.Coach D said in interview that someone or somebodies are stepping up each week and making big plays.By all accounts Ringer's health is back on track.I think there is a possibility that Ringer has a huge day.

Iowa plays PennState at home this week.Starts at 330pm.Heres to Captain Kirk getting all the hawks fired up.A loss at Iowa would be excellent.With my luck this week so far (long story), Karma could certainly help out by zapping PSU for us.If PSU has a breakdown, say, a turnover that leads to a quick hawks score, kinda like OSU did to us, its possible Iowa could pull it off.Any injuries on PSU squad would help.Hell, what ever it takes. MSU needs it to help overcome the visitors disadvantage.

Ohio State is on the road at Northwestern.Again, if OSU provides the fuel to fire up the cats in the form of lethargic offense,dumb penalties or turnovers converted to points, there's a chance OSU loses. I wouldn't count on it.NW might be able to whip off 20 more plays than the Buckeyes, its just 20 more opportunities for the OSU defense to score or wipe out NW's offensive talent.
If you hear Cory Wootens name 5 times tomorrow, OSU loses.They wont.

Minnesota plays host to Michigan this week. Minnesota has had a good run, but I'm hear to say its over.Yes, you heard it here first, Michigan will beat Minnesota AT Minnesota.I think the Minnesota squad is tired and used up all its tricks.The Wolverinoes will cough up the ball a bunch of times, but they will prevail in a game that will have a margin of victory smaller than 8 points.

LOST business....
The table is set for the Confligratto Finale.Sarah and I are tied at +3 points over George and Philbert jr.A 2008 Bocce Tournament Championship is dead ahead.I have put my mind on cruise control.I think we shall draw for random partners, like all year long.After the draw, if George or Phil don't win their first match, they shall be mathematically eliminated.Game play shall proceed as normal, with redraws after completed rotations, until it is time to break for the game.At that point, if there is a clear winner, that person shall be crowned this years Champion.If not, we shall decide on how the tiebreaker will fall, work out the when and wheres.For a tournament championship match, I would like a 11 point game, win by 2 point contingency. Its my time. I have played well all year, save two weeks.I didn't go win less all year.I regularly helped toss quad fours every week.At least one per week.No shutouts this year...yet.The Caesar has been a benevolent leader, so he will be spared. Sarah is dangerous.She has motivation and the skill to win.What remains to be seen is how she has learned to deal with the pressure.Last year she was on the right track, but I think her mental game buckled when she had some setbacks.Call it panic.Panic is what ruined me in the final against McOrifice.Not this year.Not again.Do or not do, there is no try.So says Yoda.

.... the generals gazed out to the rocky ground."Why do they rush to their death?", he asked."They know not what furies they unleash...their ignorance hurls them into the gaping maw", I answered. "Their leadership has mislead them no doubt."
"No doubt commander.If its blood they want, let them shed it freely!".

Market,Schmarket

Will someone please tell me how in the hell a man is supposed to make any friggin' money with a stock market like the one we have.Is EVERYONE a trader now? And what about all the hedge redemptions?Big Bucks suckers pulling money in and out.I should have seen this coming and I overestimated the greed factor.The market reset prior to the election makes sense, but the election impact wont be felt for months.If we have a small bull run, probably tempered with tax loss selling, I can see another big collapse after the new president is sworn in.Build posistion and liquidate.Come on TV and say,"its the economy.its the world slowdown.its hard rain".Whatever.I shouldnt complain much, Im doing good compared to 85% of folks except for my options posistions.My options got crushed.No surprise there either.Im coming back a bit, the only thing that helps is a January expiration.Trillions of dollars of assets, just disappeared.I think wallstreet sometimes cuts its own throat when its not trading on what matters.Employment,low debt,big margins,share buybacks,earnings.If the traders always did that then we'd have a great bull market again.The problem shouldnt be confused with the knowledge.GOOD traders dont predict market direction, they play volatility.I play volatility, but heres the problem..again.The market is moving irrationaly.Emotion and SUPERRICH morons knee jerking thier money everytime Warren Buffet farts makes the market go up and down right now.Thats stupid.And I hate it, but I will defeat them.I was smart and held an average 33% cash ratio.I still havent gone to market much yet.I think Ill make some moves after the President is sworn in.I think before the end of the year, or maybe the first week of January, we retest 8500 on the Dow.Maybe lower than that, maybe 78/7900.I need to study it more closely.Ive been so disgusted with it,I have spent the last 5 weeks looking away like I was seated next to a slobbering dimentia vicitim or a "skin graft on my face" guy. On an unrelated subject, who thinks the Pistons trade for Alan Iverson was crap? I do.

O Fortuna

First things first.Congrats and a hearty "hell yeah!!" to the 25th ranked MSU mens Soccer team, who by virtue of a 1-0 victory over the 6th ranked Northwestern Wildcats,won the schools FIRST BIG TEN TITLE in Coach Joe Baums LAST regular season game.What a way for a solid soccer team to send off its skipper.Take pride Spartans, this title was a long time coming, and well deserved by these fine athletes and great coach.

With O Fortuna playing in our heads, Spartan nation sprang forth for a CRITICAL 3rd down stop.Wisconsin punts, leaving 1:19 on the clock.Score..MSU 22, Wisco 24.We need Brian Hoyer to engineer a game winning drive.Possibly, a true defining moment in his career as a Spartan.The very first time into battle this year, Hoyer came up short pushing MSU down the field as time expired in a losing effort against California.We've seen this scenario far to often, eh Spartans?
Let me take you back.2007 overtime loss to Iowa,Northwestern,Wisconsin.The "comeback" against UM.All games we had our chances in.Now we stand on the brink of another end of regulation nailbiter.Blair White comes up with two HUGE catches.BJ Cunningham, after getting mugged ALL DAY, adds 4 more in the middle to set up the howitzer that is Bret Swenson.18 seconds and counting as MSU desperately scrambles its field goal unit out on the field. At that point, Wisconisn coach Bret Bielema does the unthinkable. "time out Wisconsin" the official shouts. Time out??!!! Are you kidding me?? This guy is kicking a 44 yard field goal, not shooting free throws.We line up, set the line....."time out Wisconsin".Again , the badgers leader attempts to ice the kicker.With a pat on the back ,wink and nodd from Coach D, Swenson lines up.The snap is perfect, the ball is placed and ..... F' in BINGO.With our arms thrust over our heads and our faces turning red,Spartan nation erupts as the ball splits the uprights.Georgie and I just stood and riot screamed toward the field. Firmly pushed into the badgers side, Swenson broke that mother F'er off in Wisco's ass. Special game ball to Wisconsin coach Bret for not only giving us a composure timeout for free, earlier in the game, two players and Coach Beilema accounted for 35 yards in three seperate penalties to help set up a MSU score to make it 19-24 ad Wisco, without MSU so much as snapping the ball. The crowd was in good form, and the LSU Tigers fan (idiot) who sits two rows in front of me got his stupid ass up and left when we were down by 11 in the forth quarter.I NEVER hear him say anything positive about MSU, just comments on how stagnant the offense is , or what some player is doing wrong.If that bad hurricane blew his ass up here, I sure wish it would've carried him back home.There were several people around us that were saying, "we're done, same old spartans.." and sulking.I agree, same old spartan dead asses who sit quietly and golf clap,and sell their seat to the Ohio State game.George spoke up and said," wait..just wait and see.We're gonna win, we have a chance still...".No one really disagreed with him, but they all had doubts.I didnt have doubts, but I did feel like it was slipping away because I felt that we couldnt rely on Hoyer to WIN a game, just not to lose a game.Redeemed is Bobby Ho in my eyes.Hoyer is no superman,but he is solid.I have seen his mental game grow, and if I was to make any judgement at all, I'd say his physical game has gone as far as it will go.He's gotten smarter, but I havent seen him get any more athletic.For having a virus, Ringer put some great blocks on, and did a good job all around.Game balls to ALL THE DEFENSIVE PLAYERS.What a great effort.Wisconsin put up MONSTROUS yards on the ground, and only managed 24 points.The D showed up BIG time when we needed them on the forementioned 3rd down.Thats when O Fortuna came on either in our heads , or over the public address, or both.
" One more time D!!", I said. You know the rest.

O Fortuna played
asses was kicked
names was taken
fade to black........The great Satan is next.

Beuhler?Beuhler?Beuhler?

The Wisconsin tailgate has concluded and the roll call is complete.Missing from class....Jake and his 20 something testosterone crew.The old folks next door crushed their precious tummy tums and made them scaret (Def. Scart(scare-t,emphasis on the T);to be a vagina of sorts, to show your tender underbelly,pussies). The boys next door were not earlier than us, they werent even present at all.I speculate that they retreated to another tailgate spot.One where they can toss the football, call eachother their petnames and be relatively cool in the surroundings, and not be wreckified by the Big, Bad, George.Or maybe they just didnt have tickets to the game, or maybe, ahh ..who cares.I think they set up camp somewhere else so they couldnt get UDM'ed into utter submission and salvage some sort of manhood.Especially phone guy, who isnt related to cell phone bitch, who spent the latter hours of his drunkeness on the phone trying to convince some hootchie from days gone by that he's changed and he's not a skirt chasing, keg standing, ball sack in sneakers whos only interest is getting his carrot dipped and moving on.
In other news, our guests, Harvey, Josh and Susie were well received, and alienated adequatley.Harvey is a statistic machine, and I wouldnt challenge his recollections of Wisconsin sports or goings on in UW land.Nice guy, much less sophisticated than McDofist had anticipated, but OBVIOUSLY intelligent.A dangerous adversary I would think.Harvey and Josh hung around, played Bocce and speculated on the days outcome. Susie, who I didnt hear say more than 2 words to me, or anyone other than mommy, lingered out of sight and spent her time doing something. I dont think she had any lunch, and a trip with Georges mom Phyllis and Judy to get hot chocolate was about it.Engaging person eh?Pardon me while I..... well you know.Nice enough lady, well groomed, educated, etc.Also obviously Judys pride and joy, so she gets a pass.
Josh and Susie also announed that they are pregnant.We offered congrats and such.Judy said her son has children, but when its your daughter, its differant.How I dont know, grandkids are grandkids the way I see it, but Judy is experienced and such, so I'll take her word for it.Sarah,Jamie and I made up for lost drinking time once the others had departed.Of course, McFist left everything laying about, and we spent our time picking up as usual.No surprise there.After some recreational usages and some more drinkito's, we made our way to the bus.1220pm on a noon kickoff.Right on time.I wouldnt mind getting off the bus as the game starts, but we havent seen a kickoff in two years, and with this years success, we decided not to break with the tradition, to avoid any jinxification.It worked...again.